Currently, the short message service (SMS) feature is used to send short text-based messages to the digital cellular terminal to display various messages, including the number/name of the called party, message headers of pending messages, and various alert messages. In a situation where the user's eyes are busy, for example, while driving or while performing tasks requiring visual attention, the user cannot read these messages. Spoken announcements synthesized at the terminal would alleviate his problem.
One possibility to overcome this problem is to perform complete speech synthesis at the terminal. This could be achieved by transmitting the text of the message to the terminal where a speech synthesis unit will generate audible speech. However, this possibility is not practical because the terminal would necessitate a significant amount of computing power and memory, which are not available at terminals found today in the marketplace.
Against this background it clearly appears that there is a need to improve the existing functionality of remote terminals as it relates to their ability to synthesize speech. In particular, a need exists in the industry to develop remote terminals having the ability to deliver speech synthesis functions to the user without necessitating significant increases in computing and memory resources.